McDonald's UK&I Appoints New Chief Marketing Officer

McDonald’s UK and Ireland has named Tim Kenward as its new Chief Marketing Officer, effective as of May 2026.

He replaces Ben Fox, who is leaving after one year as CMO and fourteen years with the company and will be taking a “short break” before taking on an undisclosed “next career challenge.”

Commenting on his appointment, Tim said: “I’m excited to officially share that I’ve stepped into the role of Chief Marketing Officer for McDonald’s UK & Ireland.

“I’ve long admired the creativity and ambition coming out of this market, so to now lead a team where brilliant thinking is part of the everyday is a real privilege.”

Marketing leadership expertise

Tim first joined McDonald’s as a Marketing Consultant in Australia nearly fifteen years ago, holding a range of senior brand and marketing roles across the company. 

He most recently held the role of Marketing Director for the company’s International Operated Markets Business Unit, which represents McDonald’s wholly-owned, high growth markets out of the US – such as the UK, France and Canada. 

As he steps into the CMO role, Tim says there are “lots of exciting campaigns in the pipeline already,” for 2026, which will focus on the company’s approach of: “Bringing our famous menu to life, staying culturally relevant and deepening the connection of our brand with our customers.”

McDonald’s has already launched several new campaigns in 2026. 

This includes its first ever ‘Iconic Cards’, where customers get ahold of 24 hand-illustrated cards of retro McDonald’s characters and items through ‘CARD Meals,’ and the launch of its ‘Making it Happen at McDonald’s’ campaign, which ran as a documentary style campaign celebrating the work of its younger restaurant workers. 

This approach combined with “strong local insight,” from the UK and Ireland teams, will help as the company focuses on “driving growth, innovation and long-term brand excellence across the UK and Ireland,” Tim continued. 

Ben Fox steps down

Tim is replacing Ben after he spent fourteen years with the company, and just over a year as its UK and Ireland Chief Marketing Officer.

He began his career with McDonald’s in 2012 as a Marketing Manager for Media and Digital, where he led media strategy and budget management.

From there, he progressed through the UK and Ireland marketing team, taking on a Marketing Director role in 2018, before progressing to the Chief Marketing Officer role – first as the EMEA Chief Marketing Officer from 2022 to late 2024, then as the UK and Ireland Chief Marketing Officer. 

Sharing the news on LinkedIn, Ben said: “There have been so many highlights in the last year, from launching Big Arch & Mixology, the World Menu Heist, the Grinch Meal, the Secret Menu and now Cards, creating some record‑breaking sales days along the way! 

“This really is a tale of creative excellence driving commercial impact. I am proud of the incredible work the Marketing and Menu team delivered to ensure they played an outsized role in supporting the turnaround in the UK&I.

“A new creative ambition, a revitalised marketing calendar, underpinned with a sharper strategic focus, all helping to drive us back into market share growth.”